“It gets easier.”
Dewy Meadows spun around towards the voice.
“With time, of course.” An off-white unicorn stallion pulling a small cart with him slowly walked past Dewy. The light snow falling clung to his soft black and grey mane.
“I’m sorry?” Dewy wiped her muzzle dry with the end of her scarf before letting it fall to her side. She hadn’t seen anyone else out in the cemetery; everyone had already gone home, except for her.
The stranger didn’t answer Dewy. Instead, he pulled the cart up to the spot next to her and unhitched himself. She watched him the entire time. “I saw you mournin’ over here. Who did you lose?” He began fiddling around in the back of the cart, out of Dewy’s vision.
“Oh, um…” Dewy gestured to the headstone and swallowed. “...my mother.” She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” The stranger levitated up some string and some wooden stakes and sectioned off an area to Dewy’s right. The same size as her mother’s final resting place. When he finished, he placed the items back in the cart and looked back to Dewy. “Name’s Marble. Marble Crack. Our office is closing soon, so if you have any questions or need anything, you can ask me now.”
“I think we have everything covered.” Dewy’s eyes shifted back to her mother’s grave.
Marble went back to his work silently.
Dewy didn’t pay too much attention to him. To be honest, something about him unnerved her. But she just blamed it on her introversion. Marble was just doing his job.
While Dewy let her thoughts drift back to her mother, Marble started digging out a large hole for a casket. The freshly dug up earth sitting to the side started to turn white from the increasing snowfall.
They had both been there so long that the lamps that lined down the dirt paths flickered on and illuminated the hazy evening. The snow continued to get heavier, falling straight down into the darkening night. The cicadas chittering amplified with the rise of the moon, and complemented the sound of the earth being disturbed by Marble.
Once all the preparation was complete, Marble shook the snow out of his mane and returned to his cart. He pulled a thermos out and poured himself a cup of coffee, relishing the warm liquid in the cold winter air.
Dewy didn’t pay him any attention. Marble stared at her back for a few seconds before levitating out a second cup and pouring some coffee into it. “I don’t have any sugar or anything, but it’s nice and warm.” He levitated the cup to the front of her, and took a seat next to her.
Dewy broke her gaze and took the coffee from Marble’s magical grasp. “That’s fine, I like it black anyways.” She took a long sip, thankful for the heat it filled her with. “Thank you, sir.”
“No problem.” Marble joined her in watching the headstone, sipping his cup. “How did she go?”
Dewy lightly sighed. “She got very sick. But she, uh, didn’t win.”
“I gotcha. What did she have?”
Dewy chuckled dejectedly and looked down. “Something too long and hard to pronounce.”
“Mmm.” Marble poured himself another cup.
Several minutes passed. Marble had finished his coffee and levitated the thermos and cup back to the cart. “It’s gettin’ pretty late. Are you waiting on someone?”
Dewy shook her head. “No, everyone went home already. It’s just me left.”
Marble stood up and took the cup Dewy had set down in his telekinesis and placed it back in the cart. “Unfortunately, I have to lock the gates when I leave. I hope you understand. I’ll give you a few minutes though, miss. You can return in the morning, but I must advise you, it’s unwise to linger too long at these places.”
Dewy looked over to Marble. He had a small smile on his face.
Dewy looked up at the stars. They were quite beautiful tonight. “Alright. Let me just… say goodbye.”
“Of course.” Marble bowed his head and turned away to give her some privacy.
Dewy got up and walked slowly to the headstone. Bouquets of multicolored flowers were littered around. She simply observed the snow collecting on the headstone for a minute, before kissing her hoof and placed it over her mother’s name.
“Goodbye, mom.” Dewy didn’t shed any tears; she had already let them all out. Removing her hoof, she adjusted her scarf. She didn’t really want to leave. Something about leaving the resting place seemed like it was making it more real. It was the last day she ever saw her in the flesh. Now all that was left was this monument.
But maybe Marble was right. Dewy couldn’t stay here forever. Her mother wouldn’t have wanted that. She would have wanted her to live her life, and not be drowned by the weight of death.
It was a small comfort.
Giving one last look at the headstone, she turned around to leave her mother behind.
Marble was right behind her, and he still had that small, sad smile.
Dewy felt her breath leave her.
Dewy now had a large, sharpened piece of marble protruding from her front.
“I’m sorry, kid. But it hungers.” Marble’s smile somehow grew more sad.
Dewy watched as a beautiful crimson stain appeared below her on the snow, and on the makeshift stake embedded in her.
Marble used his magic to pull the rock out of Dewy. It slid out rather easily.
Dewy fell to the ground, rolling over to her side. Her laboured breathing rang loud in her ears as she struggled to get a good breath in.
Dewy loved how beautiful the stars looked. She could also feel her body start to move of its own accord.
Dewy felt the sensation of falling, and her vision went dark as she impacted something soft.
It was all rather tiring.
Maybe she should go to sleep for a bit, Dewy thought. Perhaps she could spend some time with her mother in the morning.
~~~
Marble looked at the mare inside the plot. Her eyes were slowly closing.
Marble braced himself.
Just as her eyes closed, the ground below him shook slightly.
Marble flicked his eyes over towards the mausoleum in the distance. It stood evilly quiet against the dark sky. But he knew what he would find over there.
Using his magic, Marble dumped the red snow and rock stake into the grave. Observing it sadly, he said a small prayer to Celestia before filling it with the earth he had dug up earlier. It gave him no pleasure, what he had done. But it wasn’t his choice.
Satisfied that no one but himself could tell what events had unfolded at the plot, Marble levitated a small headstone out of the cart and placed it adjacent to Dewy’s mother’s.
He didn’t inscribe it yet.
With the final piece placed, Marble hitched himself back to the cart and headed towards the mausoleum.
Once there, Marble unhitched himself once more. Walking up the stairs and freezing at the top, he silently observed the front.
Blood seeped from the cracks and crevices of the granite, and crawled its way to the bottom. Marble eyed it as it trailed down the wall, to the steps, and towards the ground. He didn’t dare touch it.
Marble gazed at the door and waited.
Eventually, a soft red light lit up from the other side. Marble watched the doors intently.
Some soft clacking rang from within, as if someone was tossing stones inside. Marble’s ears twitched at the noise.
Ever so slightly, one side of the door opened up. Red light spilled out, and the blood stopped seeping.
A scarf fluttered out the door.
The door slammed shut, and the entire mausoleum shook.
~~~
“Hey!”
Marble turned his head towards the voice as he locked the gates with their giant padlock.
A group of several young stallions and mares were waiting near the gate.
A light orange stallion stepped forward and addressed Marble. “Is it true?”
Marble took a deep breath. “About?”
“This place,” a short pegasus asked. She had a voice like Dewy’s, Marble noted.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Marble replied as he put the keys in his cart.
“They say it's haunted. They say some weird stuff happened at this place,” the orange stallion interjected.
Marble’s eyes darted to the gate and back to the group. He didn’t say anything.
The short pegasus flapped her wings and looked over the top of the gate and shrubbery. Her friends watched as she peeked over.
“Hey.”
The entire group jerked to Marble’s voice.
“This place belongs to the dead. Do yourselves a favor and leave it for them.” With his final words out, Marble took off towards his home, not looking back.
The group looked at each other. “Alright, I’d much rather be watching a movie or something now. Who wants to go get some drinks and then go to my place?”
They all agreed. Lining up side by side, they all walked together, away from the cemetery.
All except for one.
The orange stallion examined the gate. What was up with that caretaker? Something bothered him about the way the caretaker seemed uncomfortable when they brought up the legends.
The lock on the gate rattled slightly. There was no wind in the air.
The orange stallion could’ve swore he saw something move beyond the gate, where the trees guarded the buried.
He nervously backed up, a feeling of dread overtaking him. He turned away and ran to catch up with his friends, but he couldn’t help but feel like whatever he saw was watching him intently as he fled into the night.
